Possible prolapsed vent? Egg bound?

[birdsforbrowns]

I have a hen that today when I was checking for eggs stood up and had a red, bulbous portrusion from her vent. I let her be, and came in to research. It looked like pictures of a prolapsed vent. So I isolated her and watched her a while. She was squating in a nest in her isolation crate, but nothing. So I soaked her in warm water with epsom salts and checked her vent...no portrusion. I went ahead and lubed her vent up with petroleum jelly and sprayed some vetericyn on it just in case, and put her back in her crate. Went later to check her and she had knocked over the water, so I picked her up to clean up the water and get her fresh straw, and out came the red portrusion. It goes back in on its own...but I am not sure what to do for her. She is healthy, she free-ranges each day from 1 to 6 hours, has access to oyster shell and egg shell freely and is only 2 years old. What am I dealing with here?

 

[Eggcessive]

Some hens do have prolapses that will go in and out, but I would worry that she could be egg bound. Does the protrusion seem large enough, and the right shape for an egg? Most prolapses are prolapses of the cloaca, but occasionally an egg will get stuck in the tissue. I had never seen prolapse before last month when 2 of my faverolles hens had one the same day that went back in , and came back out whenever they strained from being held. If you can feel an egg, and the prolapse is staying in, I would apply some Preparation H ointment or some honey, and try to get some of it inside the vent as well as outside. Egg binding is very serious, and may be from a calcium and vitamin D3 deficiency, so most people give some calcium (Caltrate and those kinds with D3 are good) or Tums, and soak the hen in a warm shallow bath with some lower abdominal massage toward the vent to help pass the egg. Occasionally if an egg is stuck on the outside in a pouch, and cannot be manipulated into passing, it may have to be cut out to save the hen. Here a vet would always be the best solution if possible.

 

[mtngirl35]

You can put some preparation h on it. Just get the kind with no added painkillers. Then put her in a dark place for 24 hrs to discourage egg laying so her vent will have some time to recover. Don't let her around other chickens right now. They might peck at the swollen vent and cause further injury. Keep an eye on her in the future. Vent prolapse can reoccur.

 

[Eggcessive]

You can stop her from laying for healing by covering her cage for 16 out of every 24 hours. Here are some good links on prolapse:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/prolapse-vent-causes-treatment-graphic.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/762242/update-advice-needed-eggbound-prolapsed-hen

 

[birdsforbrowns]

Some hens do have prolapses that will go in and out, but I would worry that she could be egg bound. Does the protrusion seem large enough, and the right shape for an egg? Most prolapses are prolapses of the cloaca, but occasionally an egg will get stuck in the tissue. I had never seen prolapse before last month when 2 of my faverolles hens had one the same day that went back in , and came back out whenever they strained from being held. If you can feel an egg, and the prolapse is staying in, I would apply some Preparation H ointment or some honey, and try to get some of it inside the vent as well as outside. Egg binding is very serious, and may be from a calcium and vitamin D3 deficiency, so most people give some calcium (Caltrate and those kinds with D3 are good) or Tums, and soak the hen in a warm shallow bath with some lower abdominal massage toward the vent to help pass the egg. Occasionally if an egg is stuck on the outside in a pouch, and cannot be manipulated into passing, it may have to be cut out to save the hen. Here a vet would always be the best solution if possible.

How long do I let her go before I cut it out? Oh my goodness. I'll grab her and try the Preparation H...The protrusion does seem the right shape for an egg but smaller. My son actually asked if she was laying a red egg. I'll try the Tums too, crushed up. Poor girl. Hopefully tomorrow she'll have an egg in the crate and a new lease on life!

 

[Eggcessive]

Don't cut anything unless you are certain it is an egg! Prolapses mostly look red and round, and feel like tissue, not an egg. Take a rubber glove and feel inside the vent. Is she pooping? This is the usual type of prolapse:

Photo by Armorfirelady

 

[birdsforbrowns]

Don't cut anything unless you are certain it is an egg! Prolapses mostly look red and round, and feel like tissue, not an egg. Take a rubber glove and feel inside the vent. Is she pooping? This is the usual type of prolapse:

Photo by Armorfirelady

She is pooping. It looks like that but firmer and more round.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would just continue to push it back inside, and with a rubber glove hold it there in place for 10 minutes or as long as you can. Watch a TV program together with her on your lap. Lowering her protein level a bit may also help her to stop laying in the coming days.

 

[birdsforbrowns]

Update on our sweet Cali...
This morning when I checked on her her vent was closed. I went ahead and gave her another Epsom soak for 20 minutes, then turned her over and massaged around the vent and felt no firmness at all...nothing that would indicate an egg pressing near the vent. I did go on to lubricate her vent and then rubbed honey (no preparation H around) around it. Since then I have let her be in the isolation crate with egg shell and tums crushed up together and water. She doesn't seem uncomfortable. Just keeping an eye on her, hoping that it was prolapse and that it is remedying itself. She doesn't seem to mind the spa treatment, but the prodding of her vent she could do without!

 

[Eggcessive]

I hope she continues to do well, and thanks for the update.